A Sudden Rush Of Feeling
by amyownfie
Summary: Draco had believed every word his father said, followed every one of his commands, until one day, he couldn't. Draco had been numb for a while, and after a sudden rush of feeling, he left his old prejudices behind.
1. So Much Red

**Chapter 1 - So Much Red**

It was in fifth year, late at night after Potter dragged the rest of Hogwarts idiots to the Department of Mysteries to save a man who hadn't actually been injured. Of course Potter wouldn't have realized what he was seeing wasn't real because the idiot had no aptitude for Occlumency. Though most of the school didn't know that information, he only knew because Professor Snape informed him of the details of his Father's capture. He'd offered his services to Professor Snape for the night, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep, the thought of his mother in the Manor without his father protecting her from Voldemort made his blood run cold.

He'd been brewing a batch of blood-replenishing potion when a very frantic Madam Pomfrey burst through the door, levitating a very bloodied behind her. The very bloodied body of Hermione Granger. She was losing a lot of blood and judging by the dark color that was spreading through her veins from a very nasty looking cut; he knew it had to be dark magic. The healer barely acknowledged his presence, only speaking briefly to the potions master before pouring potion after potion down her patient's throat. Snape began barking orders at him to apply ingredient after ingredient to the cursed wound, while he waved his wand over her body, muttering incantations Draco hadn't heard before.

When they were finally finished tending to the Gryffindor, Draco could only stare at his hands. Hands that were covered in very red blood. It made him sick, knowing that his father or his aunt could have been the one to injure the fragile girl. If his father had his own way, he would have to do the same, injuring and murdering all that refused to bear the Dark Mark. It was only when he choked back a sob that Madam Pomfrey noticed his presence. She was about to reprimand him for being there when she noticed the blood that stained him. She pushed a cloth into his hands, followed by a calming draught and walked him down to the Slytherin common room, not saying a word the entire way.

He ignored the worried questions that came from his house mates when he walked into the common room. He just walked into his dorm, again ignoring the occupants' protests and questions. It was only when he was staring at his reflection, leaning on the sink in front of him, that he noticed that the blood was not only on his hands but smeared across his shirt and in his hair. He ripped off his shirt, throwing it into the bath and setting it on fire; he didn't want to look at it any more. He began scrubbing at his hands, trying desperately to remove the red that had sunk deep into his skin.

"Stupid bloody Granger." He muttered. His housemates had most likely pieced together that the blood belonged to the muggleborn, but they probably hadn't realized why he was frantically scrubbing away her blood. It didn't disgust him like it would his friends; it only made him want to sob. It was as if he thought he could undo everything she had to endure to receive her injuries by simply scrubbing harder at his skin.

"Draco?" A quiet voice pleaded from the doorway, pulling him slightly out of his hysteria. Daphne Greengrass was leaning against the doorframe, her expression one of compassion. "Tell me what happened."

He could only stare at her, unsure of how he could explain what he had seen, the image of her blood still burning in his mind. He knew his breathing was panicked and erratic, probably one of the contributing factors to Daphne's concern, but he couldn't calm down. The image of red was all he could see, like it was haunting him. He squeezed his eyes shut, slumping against the wall in an effort to escape from the images assaulting his brain.

A cold hand was on his cheek and what felt like a potion was being pressed to his lips. He drank, not questioning what it was. Within a few moments, the red that had been assaulting him was gone and Daphne was knelt down in front of him. She was very worried now.

"Draco, you're crying." She barely whispered, wiping his cheeks with the end of her sleeve. "What happened to you?"

Draco took a few moments to breathe, knowing he couldn't tell his friends everything. But maybe he could tell Daphne, she had been very vocal about her dislike of blood purity over the last year. Though it didn't surprise him, she had a very big heart for a Slytherin.

"Granger." He muttered, running his hands over his face. "She was hit with a pretty bad curse, or something cursed cut her, I don't know." He shook his head, trying his hardest to remember what happened, trying to battle through the foggy effect the potion had on his brain. "It took hours to heal her. She just kept bleeding. She wouldn't stop bleeding."

Daphne's worry softened into a sad smile, as she worked out why Draco had panicked so much. "Your secret's safe with me." She smiled, helping him to his feet. "But I know it's not the only thing bothering you. You're worried about your mother."

"How did you…" Draco tried to ask, only to be cut off by the blonde.

"My father sent me an own about the good news." Daphne rolled her eyes. "He's been accepted into the Dark Lord's inner circle, he's pressuring me into choosing one of the marriage contracts he's been arranging."

Draco rolled his eyes, completely understanding Daphne's disgust at the idea. If he was forced into the marriage contracts the Malfoy family had left for him, he'd either be marrying Pansy or Daphne's little sister Astoria. He dismissed the Parkinson contract immediately, he couldn't stand Pansy. Astoria however, was the sweetest girl he's talked to, being that she was in her third year and treated him like a big brother. She was ecstatic to hear that, she even entrusted him with the knowledge of her crush on his friend Theo.

"You shouldn't worry about your mother." Daphne smiled, as if what she had to say was a miracle. "Your aunt dotes on her. Bellatrix may be insane but she won't stand for anything happening to her dear baby sister."

Draco laughed slightly, imagining Bellatrix on a murdering rampage because his mother had been offended. Though it wasn't hard to imagine. She'd had quite a lot of fun murdering muggles and wizards alike since her escape from Azkaban.

"You need to get some sleep." Daphne ordered, a rather Slytherin smirk on her face. "That calming draught won't last forever and I don't think you want to be awake when it wares off."

He pulled the blonde into a quick hug. "Thanks Daph." He whispered. It was rare for him to thank people, and rarer for him to hug them.

She sauntered away, giving the rest of Slytherin house a quick rundown of what happened to him. He'd had to help Madam Pomfrey with Granger. He'd protested but Snape had ordered him to. He couldn't bear having her blood on him and panicked when her blood wouldn't come off. It wasn't true really, he hadn't questioned healing Granger, even he didn't understand his eagerness to help his rival. He just pushed it from his mind and pulled on a green jumper before falling onto his bed, ignoring the nagging voice in his head. The voice sounded like his mother. He ignored it's protests to him sleeping above his sheets in a cold dormitory and allowed the calming draught to drag him into a peaceful sleep.

 **AN- I hope you guys like my attempt at a Dramione fic. I've been writing some pretty long winded, plot heavy fics and I felt like changing things up a bit, especially as I've hit a spot of writer's block.**

 **Like I said this should be pretty simple. You will probably notice I write a little OOC so I'd like to apologise for that in advance. Please let me know what you think and follow this story if you'd like to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	2. Poison In Her Blood

**Chapter 2 - Poison In Her Blood**

When Draco woke, he couldn't ignore the rush of images that flooded his mind as he remembered the events of the night before. He quickly changed into a fresh uniform, and checked his face in the mirror, realizing he hadn't washed the blood from his hair. With a quick scourgify he removed the blood from his hair and sighed. Though he wasn't in a state of panic, he still had to clench his fist to stop his hands from shaking. He glanced at the clock on his way out of the dormitory and noticed it was barely 6am. He couldn't take a step out of the door as the sleeping form of Daphne Greengrass was slumped at the top step.

Draco sighed and lightly shook her shoulder, causing the girl to stir. "Been there all night?" He asked, a smile on his face.

"Of course." She shrugged, rubbing her eyes as she yawned. "I figured I you would want to go and see Granger. Somebody's got to be a lookout." She grinned and jumped up. Her energy surprised him, she had slept on the stairs.

"Go change, I'll wait for you." He rolled his eyes, having learnt a long time ago not to argue with the girl. She skipped away, leaving with his thoughts. While he waited, it crossed his mind to prepare a paste from the ingredients he had been ordered to fetch for Snape the night before, although his Professor would have already though of that.

"Ready." Daphne smiled from the bottom of the stairs, having not only changed but redone her makeup and hair. It was only when he glanced ad his watch again that he had been thinking about Granger for half an hour.

They rushed through the halls, hoping to avoid any teachers. They weren't technically supposed to be out of bed until seven. Though not even technically, they just weren't allowed to wander the halls until seven. They made quick work of the trip to the Hospital Wing, thanks to a rather friendly painting on the third floor that had a taste for pork chops and gravy. She had given him the password when he managed to coerce some of the other paintings to send her food. It would have usually taken fifteen minutes to get to the Hospital wing but the trip only took six, though he blamed the extra minute on Daphne insisting that she re-tie her hair while they stood in the middle of the staircase.

They stood outside of the hospital wing, Draco just staring at the large wooden door. He didn't know if Granger was in there, or whether the rest of the idiot Gryffindors were awake.

"Go on Draco." Daphne whispered, urging him forward. "If Madam Pomfrey sees you, just tell her the truth. You couldn't get last night out of your mind and needed to see that she was okay." Daphne smiled at Draco, who hadn't stopped staring at the door handle. When she realized he wasn't going to move on his own, she grabbed his hand and pushed open the door, revealing a very quiet hospital wing.

Light was starting to creep through the windows, lighting the six faces that all lay sleeping. Well, only five faces were visible, thick blue curtains had been pulled around the bed closest to Madam Pomfrey's office. Draco stepped into the space, walking toward the bed he knew contained Hermione. He heard movement behind the curtain and saw Madam Pomfrey walk out from behind the curtain, clearly tired and apparently still hard at work healing the muggleborn.

"I would normally reprimand your presence here." The woman started, speaking in a whisper so not to wake her patients. "But I need help with Miss Granger. Severus was called into a meeting with Professor Dumbledore several hours ago and her wound is getting worse."

Draco stood frozen, staring through the small gap in the curtains at the still bleeding girl.

"I know what to do, my mother insisted I learn during the summer." Daphne spoke, rolling her sleeves up and pushing through the curtains. Draco followed quickly, pulling off his jumper and rolling up his shirt sleeves.

Madam Pomfrey flicked her wand and removed one of the beds next to Hermione's, also extending the curtains around them so that they could all fit.

"Draco, I need you to get as big a phial of dittany as you can." Daphne ordered, pulling out her wand and assessing the damage. Draco immediately left, leaving the two women alone.

"We can't use dittany on a cursed wound, the pain would be excruciating to say the least. No amount of potions would numb that." Madam Pomfrey started. "Not to mention that it is highly unpredictable and could worsen the damage."

"I am well aware of that." Daphne spoke coolly, trying not to snap at the healer. "But she was hit by Dolohov's curse, that's why nothing is working. We can't give her any more healing potions, dreamless sleep potions, we can't even give her a calming draught or a potion for the pain." Daphne looked down at Hermione with sadness in her eyes, hating that the words came from her mouth. "The curse infects the blood and it feeds off of potions like that. We have to burn it out, and I'm sorry but it will be very hard to watch. My mother is the only woman to have healed someone who's been hit with Dolohov's curse, she wouldn't even tell Snape how to heal someone affected by it."

"Miss Greengrass, I need you to promise me that you can heal her." Madam Pomfrey demanded, her expression completely serious. "I will help you burn out the curse, but I need your word that it won't kill her."

Daphne took a deep breath, avoiding the healer's eyes. "I can't promise that." She frowned, her eyes tracing the pained look on Hermione's face. "There is a chance that the potions and elixirs I need to use could kill her. But this curse will kill her if we don't try."

Madam Pomfrey looked between Daphne and Hermione, wishing she didn't have to make such a terrible choice. She kept her eyes on Daphne's face for a few moments, watching as the girl released one stray tear that it appeared she had been fighting to hold in. She was telling the truth. "Do it." She said after a loud sigh, preparing to remove the potions from Hermione's body. With a wave of her wand, Hermione started awake, holding in small strangled cries and grunts. It was clear she was very conscious and very aware of what was happening to her as she stared at Daphne, her eyes pleading for the pain to be over.

"I'm so sorry Hermione." Daphne almost cried, trying to steel herself against the screams erupting from the Gryffindor's throat. Draco came back running, the wanted vial of dittany in his hands. "The curse is using the healing potions to kill you, I need to burn it out." She saw Hermione nod, but still couldn't bring herself to begin the procedure. She needed to know what she was letting the Slytherin do. "It could kill you Hermione." She spoke, trying not to sob.

"Do it." Hermione almost screamed, squeezing at the sheets and closing her eyes in an effort to push back the pain.

He handed Daphne the dittany and watched as her hands hovered over Hermione's wound. "I need you to get professor Snape and have him prepare a poison potent enough to kill Greyback. We're going to need it." Draco nodded, though unwillingly and headed for Dumbledore's office.

"Allow me, my dear." Madam Pomfrey smiled sadly, moving to take the dittany from Daphne's shaking hands. "Please gather some healing potions for when this curse is burned out."

"There are incantations that need to be cast, I can't leave her until this is over." Daphne took a deep breath before filling the dropper with as much liquid as she could manage. With one last breath she squeezed it across her wound and her screams became excruciating to hear. Tears began falling freely down her cheeks as she muttered the incantations, fighting the slight burning across her left shoulder and down her chest. She ignored the pain and continued her work.

 **AN- So I said it wouldn't get complicated, but I think I might have just made it complicated. It should straighten itself out pretty quickly though. I hope that you liked this chapter. Please let me know what you think and follow this story if you want to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	3. The Lion's Den

**Chapter 3 – The Lion's Den**

When Draco had finally arrived with Professor Snape, the four Gryffindors that had been demanding answers of Madam Pomfrey almost caused a riot, Ron going as far as to throw Draco against a wall.

"What have you done to her Malfoy?" He demanded, wand digging into Draco's throat. "She was fine." He spat in the Slytherin's face, though Draco didn't even roll his eyes. He just stared at the ginger, waiting for him to either let him go or to cast the spell he knew was on the boy's tongue.

"He has done nothing but help myself and Professor Snape keep Miss Granger alive." Madam Pomfrey spoke, not needing to raise her voice as the room had gone almost silent. Luna had immediately taken to helping Daphne, allowing the girl to focus on her spells while she applied what little of the dittany was left. She had also cast a silencing spell so that the others wouldn't hear as her screams got impossibly louder and more heart wrenching. "Mr Weasley, I would ask that you release him so that he may fetch more dittany." With a stern look Ron released Draco and sulked, staring daggers into Draco's back as he left to retrieve more of the potion from the large store room in the dungeons.

"Madam Pomfrey." Ginny smiled, though it was clear she was very angry underneath. "Surely it would be better if you were the one healing Hermione. I'm sorry but I don't trust two pureblood Slytherins to keep her alive. They do preach blood purity as far and wide as they can."

"You may be right about that last part Weasley." Draco spoke, moving past all of the Gryffindors and handing Luna two more vials of dittany, which earned him a tearful smile. "But I spent two hours last night keeping her alive, applying ingredient and potion to her wound." He turned to face the ginger girl, who seemed shocked at his words. "Do you know what it feels like to have blood cover your hands? To see how red and pure her blood was, everything my father beat into me as a child fell apart because I couldn't stop seeing her blood on my hands." His eyes dropped down to his hands. They were still tinged red. "It's still there." He whispered, only Ginny and Madam Pomfrey now hearing his words. "Haunting me."

"If you're all done." Snape drawled, looking uninterested as usual, though his eyes seemed concerned as they fell on Draco. "I believe I need to give this to Miss Granger." He moved past them all and poured a small amount of the liquid in her mouth. It was clear to everyone watching that it was causing her more pain. He placed a hand on Luna's shoulder and took the vials of dittany from her, allowing her to leave the bubble of very audible screams.

She immediately walked into Ginny's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "She's screaming so loud." She whispered, her voice fragile. "So much blood." Draco quickly moved, handing Luna a calming draught and took her from Ginny's arms, knowing that the Ravenclaw wouldn't stay wake for very long. He helped her back to one of the beds and she readily laid down, drinking the potion and closing her eyes.

He watched her for a moment, remembering all too vividly the state he had been in before Daphne forced him to take a calming draught. He took a deep breath and turned to see Ginny smiling sadly at him.

"You look like you could use one of those." She spoke, almost as if she were being friendly. "I did. After Riddle's diary. I lived off of them that summer, until I could cope."

Draco couldn't help but feel guilty about her story. Though he hadn't been the one to place the diary in her cauldron. He had listened to the story many times after, especially when his father would get drunk with his death eater friends, as if any of them felt more than distain for each other.

"I'll be fine." Draco shook his head. "I've had to endure much worse." He thought back to his summer, with Voldemort living in his home, eating at his dinner table, sleeping in the room next door. He had certainly endured worse.

"Draco, we need you." Snape yelled, stepping past the silencing charm to attract his godson's attention. Draco moved quickly, shocked by the sudden screaming that filled his ears. "Hold her down, I need to get the rest of this down her throat." He ordered and Draco did as he was asked, pushing down on her uninjured shoulder and her left elbow, but still not managing to stop her thrashing.

He quickly moved past the silencing charm. "Less annoying Weasley, come help me." He shrank back inside the curtains and moved to the opposite side of Hermione's bed, noting Ginny's horrified expression as she stepped past the silencing charm. "Help me hold her down." He ordered, taking care to avoid her injury as he tried to hold her down. He was glad he hadn't asked for Potter or Weasel, knowing that they wouldn't have moved as efficiently as the girl in front of him did. She was almost instantly at Hermione's side, providing the extra force he needed to keep Hermione still. They held her there for what felt like hours, her body occasionally jerking beneath their hands.

"I'm done." Daphne announced, suddenly breaking out of her trance. "Get me as many blood replenishing and healing potions as you can." She ordered over the volume of Hermione's screams, seemingly unaffected like Professor Snape. Ginny and Draco both rushed from the curtains, Draco gathering some of the potions he knew the she-Weasley wouldn't think to get.

It took many more hours of work before Hermione was sleeping peacefully, her would slowly stitching itself together as they applied even more essence of dittany. Dumbledore had retrieved Professor Snape shortly after Daphne had announced that the curse was out of Hermione's blood. Daphne had been ordered from Hermione's side as soon as she had finished extracting the poison, being ushered by Madam Pomfrey to an empty bed. The rest of Potter's gang had been shooed from the space, leaving only Draco and the healer to finish their work.

"Take one of the beds and get some rest." Madam Pomfrey ordered. "I can finish with Miss Granger perfectly fine by myself. You, however, need to take a calming potion and join Miss Greengrass." With a flick of her hands, Draco did as she asked, choosing the bed closest to Hermione. He knew it was futile, but he felt like he needed to be as close as he could to help when the need arose. He laid his head on a pillow and closed his eyes, immediately being dragged into a deep slumber.

 **AN- So Hermione is going to be fine, yaay. I really hope that you liked this chapter and the little bonding time between Draco and Ginny. I always thought she would be the most likely of them to accept Draco and it will make things with Draco and Hermione easier if one of her friends is one his side.**

 **As always I would love to hear what you think and please don't hesitate to follow this story if you'd like to hear more.**

 **Amyx**


	4. Suspicious Allies

**Chapter 4 – Suspicious Allies**

When she woke, Hermione felt sore. She felt like she had been set on fire, and given the pain she had endured, it was a very accurate description. She knew a Slytherin girl had been crying next to her bed, but she couldn't remember the girl's name. All Hermione knew about her was that she owed the girl her life. She vaguely remembered people moving around her as her body burned, but she couldn't identify who they were. She knew that it was pure pain that caused her forgetfulness, knowing that if a potion were involved then she wouldn't have been in agony for so long.

Hermione pushed herself up the bed, so that she was sitting up. She could see around the hospital wing much easier like that. It was late evening. She could tell by the way the light shone orange though the windows instead of the usual yellow hue that lights the room during the day. There were two other people in the hospital wing, both blonde and Slytherin. She recognized the girl sleeping in the far corner of the room as the girl who healed her. She didn't seem injured, which Hermione did fear for a moment. She was worried the girl had gotten hurt helping her. The other was the sleeping form of Draco Malfoy. It seemed like he was only sleeping also, but she couldn't work out why he was there. Malfoy hated her; he would never sleep in a bed next to her lest she dirty his pure blood. But it appeared that he chose where he had lain down. Why was he there in the first place, had he come to try to convince the Slytherin girl that she was wasting her time? He wouldn't have stayed if he had.

"He's there because he had a very large hand in saving you." Madam Pomfrey spoke quietly as she walked over to Hermione's bed, carrying a tray with several potions and a glass of water. "Have a sip before you talk." She ordered, handing Hermione the glass.

She did as she was asked and took a hesitant sip, unsure if she could keep the liquid down. "He would never help me." She spoke, her voice quiet and cracked. She took another small sip of the liquid

"He spent much of last night and this morning aiding myself and Professor Snape, as did Miss Greengrass, who I am sure you would like to talk with when she wakes." Madam Pomfrey smiled, glancing over at the blonde girl. "You were hit by Dolohov's curse, a spell that until now, none had survived. It was a very risky and painful procedure. We almost lost you."

Hermione looked over at Draco. It made sense, almost. He must have chosen the bed next to hers in case she needed help while he was asleep. "How did you do it?" She croaked.

"That was thanks to Miss Greengrass." Madam Pomfrey smiled proudly. "Her mother had taught her how to heal cursed wounds during the summer, evidently fearing Death Eaters attacking. As I am told, the curse was made to feed off of any healing potions, making it impossible for the victim to survive, given our usual procedures. Thanks to dark curses rejecting essence of dittany, we were able to use it to flush out most of the affected blood. Had we known sooner, the poison may have not been necessary."

"Poison?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide. She couldn't understand how a poison could have cured her.

Madam Pomfrey smiled again, understanding Hermione's confusion. "The curse had to be burned from your blood, and we did so by Professor Snape brewing a rather potent poison." She stopped talking when she saw that Daphne was waking up. "Allow me to just go and check on Miss Greengrass." She smiled, walking to the other side of the hospital wing.

Hermione watched as the healer whispered with the blonde, both glancing over at her. She knew something very bad had happened to necessitate two Slytherins to heal her, but she couldn't work out what it was. Surely Madam Pomfrey would have been able to heal her perfectly well by themselves.

"Daphne really drained herself trying to heal you." A groggy voice smiled, drawing Hermione's attention. Draco Malfoy was sat up on the edge of his bed, messy haired, his shirt only half tucked into his trousers. It appeared his jumper and tie had been abandoned at some point during the day. But he looked relieved, like he hadn't expected her to wake up. "Her heart is too big, it could get her killed in this war."

Hermione stared warily at the Slytherin, amazed he was talking civilly with her. "Why did you do it?" She asked, noting the questioning look in his eyes as she did so.

"When you were first treated, Madam Pomfrey brought you down to the potions room, where myself and Professor Snape were working on some potions for her." He began, staring at his hands. "You were bleeding so much, I didn't even consider that I was helping someone I'm supposed to hate. I was covered in blood by the time we were finished, and it was all I could think about. How red your blood was."

Hermione scoffed, an aggravated smile playing across her face. "All blood is red Malfoy, muggles aren't a different species." She spoke coolly, rolling her eyes.

"But that's what I was taught." Draco argued, his eyes still glued to his hands. "That muggleborns were some different species that didn't deserve the magic they stole. It was literally beaten into me until I believed it." He took a deep breath, looking up at Hermione's puzzled expression. "But your blood was as red as mine. It was pure. I can't believe in my father anymore, not when his entire life's teachings were a lie."

Hermione was taken aback by his words. She didn't know what to say or think about the changed man in front of her. He didn't hate her, or at least not as much as he did. It was like seeing her blood had shaken him beyond repair. Or at least shaken the prejudiced teachings from him.

"Mr Malfoy, could you inform Professors Snape and Dumbledore of Miss Granger's recovery?" Madam Pomfrey asked, walking over to the pair. She looked slightly worried, like something had shaken her. Draco looked suspiciously at the healer but walked from the hospital wing, picking up his jumper and tie as he went. "Are you feeling well enough for Miss Greengrass to speak with you?" The matron asked, indicating to the weary looking Slytherin approaching behind her.

"Of course." Hermione smiled, wanting to thank the girl.

Madam Pomfrey left them alone, heading to her office so that they could speak alone.

"I should thank you." Hermione began, smiling.

The blonde held up a hand, cutting her off. "You shouldn't thank me yet. I used very forbidden magic to keep you live. It's not dark magic, that would have definitely killed you. I used a rare type of blood magic only available to people like me." She noticed Hermione's expression shifting from confused to worried. "Do you remember Fleur, the Beauxbatons champion from last year?"

"Yes I do, Ron wouldn't stop talking about her." Hermione rolled her eyes, wanting the girl in front of her to explain, instead of seemingly avoiding her explanation.

"She's half veela, on her mother's side." The Slytherin explained, moving to sit on the bed Draco had previously occupied. "We're second cousins, my grandmother being her aunt. My grandmother is a veela, as was my grandfather and my mother." Hermione nodded in understanding, though not quite knowing what it meant for her. "I was able to heal you by creating a soul forge. It's rather complicated but in short, I used my life force to keep you alive while we healed you. You could have survived without it but I'd gotten to you too late."

Hermione stared at the girl, trying to work out what she wasn't saying. There was no way for her to explain it, but she felt sad, like she knew something awful was going to happen. Hermione pushed the feeing aside, listening intently to the Slytherin.

"I told Madam Pomfrey that Professor Snape doesn't know how to heal someone in your situation, and that was partially true. He knows how to heal cursed wounds yes, but he wouldn't be able to create a soul forge." She explained, staring at her hands. "I was hesitant to do it, I'd never actually done it myself, just helped my mother stabilize one. I poured too much of my magic into the forge."

Hermione nodded, understanding what she was missing. She smiled at he girl. "You can't break the bond you forged because too much of your magic lives in it."

The girl had tears in her eyes, clearly apologetic for what she had done. "If one of us dies, the bond will break and kill the other. Trying to break the bond will do the same. I'm so sorry Hermione."

Hermione took a deep breath before trying to stand, ignoring the pain across her chest as she did so. She crossed the space between herself and the Slytherin, pulling her into a hug. "I understand exactly what you did, and what it means for the two of us. And I am glad that you did it." Hermione laughed to herself slightly. "I may be a Gryffindor but I am human. Death scares me."

"You're okay with what I've done?" The sobbing girl asked, pulling out of the hug. "Do you completely understand what it will do to you. You'll feel everything I feel. Pain, sadness, heartbreak. There is so much of our magic in the bond, we may as well be the same person."

"Yes I am." Hermione smiled. "I may not know you, but I know the other Slytherins ignore you because you don't believe in blood purity. You don't have a bad bone in your body."

"As nice as it is to see you up Miss Granger." Madam Pomfrey spoke, walking out of her office. "You need to get back into bed. You're not fully healed yet." Hermione rolled her eyes and climbed back into bed, a light smile on her face.

"I'll come and visit you tomorrow, explain to you more about what happened." Daphne smiled, jumping to her feet. "And Hermione, call me Daphne." The Slytherin skipped from the hospital wing, her sadness apparently having disappeared.

Hermione laid back in the bed, allowing Madam Pomfrey to fuss over her. She smiled slightly to herself, thinking about Malfoy's sudden change of heart. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

 **AN- I hope you like this chapter, it is a bit of a filler but I think I managed to put enough information in it that it wasn't useless.**

 **As always please let me know what you think and follow this story if you want to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	5. The Snake Pit

**AN- I realized that I misnamed the last chapter so that's why I re-uploaded it. Other than that, we can start the chapter.**

 **Chapter 5 – The Snake Pit**

Daphne skipped from the hospital wing, glad of how Hermione took the news. Hermione's kindness and warmth had been bleeding across the bond so it wasn't too hard to shake her sadness. She did, however, dread writing to her mother. She had spent her summer being warned against using too much magic in a soul forge and it was exactly what she had done. She also knew it would mean her mother would have to tell Lord Greengrass about her veela heritage, which could result in the three Greengrass women being burned from their tapestry, leaving them without a family. Daphne had known it would happen to her soon enough. There would come a point in her father's pressure into marriage that would result in her being disowned, she had been preparing for that for years. But she didn't want the same thing to happen to her sister, or her mother. She arrived in the Slytherin common room to find Draco standing off against many of their class.

"Chose a side Daphne and chose it wisely." Pansy sneered, her wand pointed at Draco. Most of the Slytherin house stood behind her, only Blaise and Theo stood against the wall, apparently choosing neither side. She knew what was happening immediately, they'd found out about Draco helping Hermione, but then surely they would have heard about her. His alibi was set, so something else must have caused the rift. "Why don't you tell me what I'm choosing?" She asked cautiously, taking only a few steps into the room. She took a deep breath, hoping that she wouldn't startle Hermione. 'The password is Purity. Help.'

"Between us and the blood traitor." She sneered, not taking her eyes off of Draco. "Could you believe he feels sorry for the mudblood Granger?" Draco clenched his jaw, his grip on his wand tightening. "Did I strike a nerve? You really are a pathetic blood traitor. I saw him cozying up to her in the hospital wing when I went to see Madam Pomfrey."

Daphne looked past Pansy to see Astoria stood with a scowl on her face, wand in her hand. Apparently three years in Slytherin had changed her, the sweet loving girl replaced with the vicious and proud girl stood with the rest of her house. She had hoped Astoria would handle the other Slytherins like she had, with a grain of salt and a forgiving smile. That, it seemed, was not the case. "Father would be very proud of you Stori." She conceded.

"Thank you." The girl replied, it seemed like her smile was dripping with venom. "Can I assume you're choosing our side?"

Daphne walked forward and stood next to Draco, raising her own wand. "Sorry Stori." She shook her head, trying to hold in a tear. "But I'm not proud of what you've become."

…

Hermione woke with a start, hearing Daphne's voice echo in her mind. Ignoring the pain in her chest and shoulder, and consequently her arm, she grabbed her wand from the table next to her and ran from the hospital wing, heading with as much speed as she could muster to Dumbledore's office. When she arrived, she froze. "Password!" She shouted to herself, before approaching one of the gargoyles. "Daphne Greengrass needs help. Can you send Dumbledore the message?"

"There's no need or that." Professor Snape spoke, startling Hermione. "How do you know she needs help? Weren't you in the hospital wing?"

Hermione took a few breaths, wondering how to explain. "I'm not sure. I just heard her ask." She shrugged, her panic apparently very clear to the potions Professor.

After a few moments of brooding, Snape uncrossed his arms and spoke. "Follow me, Slytherins can be very vicious when they get into a fight." He sped down the halls, leading Hermione down a passageway that was obscured by a large, smashed mirror. In only a few minutes, they were in the dungeons, walking towards an empty stone wall.

"Purity." Hermione spoke, unsure if the password was correct. Mere moments after she spoke, the wall slid back, revealing a long , dimly lit passage.

"I suppose Miss Greengrass informed you of the password." Snape sneered, walking purposefully down the passage. "Remain out of sight. Only come out if you need to." He ordered, before pushing open the door to the common room. Hermione held the door slightly open so that she could see into the space beyond. The sight beyond almost made her gasp. Daphne and Draco were stood against their entire house, wands raised.

"Greengrass. Malfoy." Snape boomed, grabbing the attention of the entire Slytherin population. "With me. The rest of you can put your wands away and head up to the great hall, it's almost supper." With that he swept out of the room, startling Hermione when he threw the door open. She managed to duck out of the way before he stepped through, followed by Draco and Daphne.

"Professor, did Hermione get my message?" She asked, running along behind her Professor, apparently having not noticed the person in question.

"Yes I got your message." Hermione rolled her eyes, struggling to keep walking. She was exhausted and her lungs heaved every time she took in a breath. Daphne immediately put an arm around her, helping her walk along, the pair falling behind.

"That's why my chest hurt." Daphne remarked, smiling at Hermione.

Snape turned, a good twenty feet ahead of the girls. "Try to keep up. It might not end well if they see Miss Granger down here." Snape warned them, turning to open the passage they had used to get down to the dungeons. Hermione kept walking, pushing herself to keep up with the potions master. The walk up the passage took twice as long as the walk down, though Draco moving beside Hermione to help her walk did speed up the process until they were back outside of Dumbledore's office. They followed Snape up the long staircase, after he had given the gargoyle the password, and let Hermione rest when they reached the top. Thanks to their bond, Daphne was exhausted as well by the time they made it. Snape pushed open the door, the students walking in behind him, and they approached Dumbledore's desk where he watched them, speculation in his eyes.

"How can I help you?" Dumbledore asked, placing his hands on the desk to help him stand.

"There was a standoff between Mr Malfoy and Miss Greengrass and the rest of Slytherin house." Professor Snape explained. "I fear they won't be safe returning to Slytherin house. It was only thanks to Miss Greengrass sending Miss Granger a message that stopped anyone escalating the situation."

Dumbledore nodded, stepping around the desk. "I see." He nodded, thinking to himself as he unconsciously ran a hand over his beard, his eyes sparkling as he did so. "Miss Granger, come take a seat. The walk seems to have worn you out." He indicated to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. Daphne helped Hermione over to the chair, crouching down next to it once she was seated.

"If I may, Professor." Draco started, concern in his voice. "We were sorted into Slytherin, that's the house we're supposed to stay in until we leave Hogwarts." He looked between the two Professors, wondering what their plan was.

"I understand that, Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore agreed, raising a hand. "But judging by Professor Snape's reaction, you would be attacked if you returned to the Slytherin common room." Dumbledore walked over to one of the many shelves in his office and pulled down a tattered hat, holding it delicately. "We will see what the sorting hat decides." He decided, waving his hand so that a stool stood in the middle of the room.

"We understand professor." Daphne interrupted, before Draco could argue further, standing to face them. She took a deep breath and walked over to the stool, hesitant to take a seat. "What do we do if it says Slytherin?" She asked, turning to face their headmaster.

"It won't." Hermione announced, turning in the chair. "The hat wanted to place me in Slytherin but knew it would be too dangerous." She spoke, her tone even and impassive, as if it were plain knowledge.

Daphne turned to look at Hermione and smiled, before taking a seat on the stool and allowing the sorting hat to drop onto her head.

 _I see… Your house has turned against you…_

'Yes it has.' Daphne thought, as if talking to the hat would convince it to move her house.

 _It also appears that most wouldn't accept you in a new house either… Where to put you?_ It speculated, apparently being aware of what was happening inside of the castle. Although, it must have been reading her mind, she deduced. It being the simplest explanation. _Your bond with Miss Granger may prove to your advantage in Gryffindor, though you do have the heart of a Hufflepuff. Kind and honest, never the one to judge._

Daphne couldn't help but cringe as the hat suggested Hufflepuff, hating the thought of being in the house. It was no secret that the other houses thought Hufflepuff was a joke.

 _It took great bravery to stand against your sister. And great bravery to withstand healing Miss Granger._ It thought, apparently having come to a decision. _Yes… Gryffindor would suit you nicely._ It announced its decision and the hat was removed from Daphne's head, leaving her to hear the weak clapping from the occupants in the room.

She walked back over to Hermione, grinning widely at her new friend, glad that she had an advocate for when she joined her new house. She turned back to see Draco's face pale, apparently dreading the hat's verdict. While she never spoke out about blood purity or ever bullied the other houses, Draco had. And it seemed those five years of ignorance had come back to haunt him.

He sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head. Hermione and Daphne held their breath as they watched Draco, waiting to see where he would be placed. He had persecuted many Hufflepuffs, most of them being muggleborn. And it was no secret that Ravenclaw and Gryffindor hated him for the same reasons. He had never shown them kindness or compassion, and soon he would have to rely on their nobility to not kill him in his sleep.

"Gryffindor." The hat announced proudly, apparently pleased with his conversation with the former Slytherin. Draco seemed less than pleased however, as he seemed to be even paler than before, unmoving from where he sat on the stool.

The room was silent, surprised with the hat's choice. Hermione was the first to break the silence, clapping in celebration of Draco's new house. It seemed the two Slytherins had more Gryffindor in them than they wanted to believe. Of course most would only see Gryffindors as reckless and thickheaded, acting before they thought about the consequences. But they would soon have to learn what bravery meant, and it wasn't the stupidity they had formerly attributed with the house.

With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore changed the house colours on the pair's uniform, a grin evident on his face. "I'll explain the situation to your new house before dinner." He grinned, his eyes gleaming. "Professor Snape, please gather the teachers and have them only permit Gryffindor students into the Great Hall. I will escort Miss Granger back to the hospital wing and then accompany our new Gryffindors to the great hall."

With that, the office was once again silent. Draco took a deep breath before finally standing. He was having one hell of a day.

 **AN- So here's the next chapter. I purposefully didn't put the hat's reasons for placing Draco in Gryffindor because I want to save it for a later chapter.**

 **Please let me know what you think and follow the story if you want to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	6. Out Of The Frying Pan

**Chapter 6 – Out Of The Frying Pan**

The great hall erupted into chaos at Dumbledore's announcement, though it was mostly the older students that protested, the younger years were mostly ignored by the two former Slytherins. They were only silenced by a rather loud shout from Dumbledore and he resumed his announcement.

"Their former house had threatened them given that they have worked tirelessly to heal Miss Granger since her return from the Department of Mysteries. A tale I am sure you are all familiar with." Dumbledore spoke, a light smile on his face. "They were placed in Gryffindor for defending Miss Granger from Slytherin house. I am well aware of Mr Malfoy's previous offences, but I have seen his change over the last few days and he has proven that he is worthy of a second chance." Dumbledore allowed them to murmur between each other before continuing. "I am sure Miss Weasley is familiar with the horror that they endured to save Miss Granger's life. I only ask that you give them a chance." With that Dumbledore strode to the doors and went to inform the teachers that the rest of the houses could enter.

Daphne and Draco stood awkwardly at the front of the great hall until Ginny forced two first years sat on her left to move and motioned for them to join her. This seemed all that Gryffindor house needed to see for them to allow the pair to join them, if only for the meal. They were sure the students would protest once again when they reached their new common room.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled sadly to the pair, placing a hand over Daphne's as a sign of friendship. "I can't imagine what it's been like for you."

Daphne smiled warmly at the ginger, having not properly spoken to her before. "I should be thanking you and your Ravenclaw friend for helping me this morning. I'm not sure if Hermione would have pulled through without you."

"I'm not sure if I believe you've changed Malfoy." Harry spoke from where he sat across from the blonde. "But I'll give you the chance to prove it."

Draco smiled slightly and extended his hand out to Harry, much like he had n his first year. "I'd like to start over." He offered, pleased to see his offer accepted.

The group sank into a slightly awkward conversation, most of them only picking at their food for the first few minutes of dinner. As they continued talking, the tension faded and they managed to be civil, jokes being exchanged and received with a few laughs. But dinner came to an end and they walked up to the Gryffindor common room where the expected protests began.

"You can't possibly expect us to believe you." Ron yelled, which sparked several others to speak out.

"You're a Slytherin!" Seamus yelled, which earned him an eye roll from Draco, Daphne and surprisingly Ginny.

"Did you imperius Dumbledore or something?" Another cried out, sparking a large uproar from the Gryffindors.

"You're Daphne right?" A girl asked, walking up to her, a cautious smile on her face. "I'm Pavarti, we'll be sharing a dorm."

"You're Padma's sister." She smiled, glad that someone was being friendly. "I sit with her in charms."

Pavarti nodded, a warmer smile setting itself on her face. "She always said you were the only decent Slytherin in your house. Or at least your old house." The pair smiled awkwardly for a moment before another Gryffindor decided to shout in protest at Pavarti.

"Why are you talking to them? They'll probably curse you in her sleep."

Pavarti sighed and linked an arm through Daphne's. "I'll show you the dormitory." She smiled, leading Daphne through the crowd, glaring at everyone as they walked past.

"At least Daph's making friends." Draco sighed, trying to ignore the glaring mass in front of him. He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "If it calms your nerves I'll give my wand to Potter." He announced, offering the magical instrument to his former rival.

"I'll give it back to you when we're upstairs." Harry whispered, taking the wand. They pushed thorough the crowd and up the stairs, walking into the now larger dormitory. Ron followed them, grumbling as he did so. Neville seemed perfectly fine with Draco joining them in Gryffindor, having also been present in the hospital wing to see two Slytherins trying to heal one of his best friends.

As promised, Harry gave Draco back his wand and walked over to the newly added bed in the room. His trunk was already at the end of the bed. "This one's yours." Harry announced before smiling. "I hope you like red." Draco laughed slightly, rolling his eyes. Red had been his favourite colour as a child, until his father decided that it would become green. His favourite toy, a bright red stuffed dragon had been burned in front of him, his father presenting him with a green counterpart. 'Malfoys will never be seen with red.' He had proclaimed. If only his father could see him now.

"It's not so bad up here." He remarked, leaning on a bedpost. "Reminds me of being a kid." He smiled to himself, noting that it was much warmer in his new common room, and much less dim. Life seemed to spring from the brighter colours. No more moping in the common room for him.

"No offense but I'm surprised you had a childhood." Neville piped up, genuine surprise on his face. "Mine mostly revolved around learning to be a true pureblood heir." He remarked.

"My mother always interrupted those lessons with my father to take me flying." Draco smiled, only for his smile to fade. "She's not a bad woman. Just forced into a marriage with an awful man."

"Soul sharing Malfoy?" Harry laughed, earning a half-hearted glare from Draco.

"Must be all of this newfound Gryffindor courage." He joked, lying down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It wouldn't be so bad in Gryffindor, Draco concluded. Even if his only company was Potter and Longbottom. "I should apologise to you." He spoke suddenly, sitting upright. "I made your last five years a living hell and I'm sorry about that."

"You tried to." Neville laughed, sitting down on his own bed. "But it never ruined our lives."

"Yeah." Harry agreed. "All of that Gryffindor courage." The three erupted into laughter, even making Ron chuckle slightly. "But we accept your apology regardless."

No. Draco thought. It wouldn't be so bad in Gryffindor.

 **AN- And so Draco is accepted into the pack… almost. He still has one Ronald Weasley to win over. And we're going to hear a little more about Daphne and Hermione's bond over the next few chapters.**

 **As always, I would love to hear what you think and please follow if you want to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	7. Sheep In Wolves Clothing

**Chapter 7 – Sheep In Wolves Clothing**

Daphne had been welcomed into Gryffindor with welcome arms, or at least Lavender and Pavarti were friendly. Or maybe they were just glad to have another girl to share their dorm, being that it had only been three of them before. They had talked rather late into the night about fairly mundane topics like which of the Slytherin boys was the best looking and whether you could wear blue eye shadow any more. Lavender had tried to suggest Draco but was quickly reminded by a laughing Daphne that he was a Gryffindor now. The girl hadn't taken it to heart but laughed along with her. They took great delight in hearing about the standoff in the Slytherin common room, seemingly proud of their new housemate. They had tried to ask about her sister but she had adamantly refused, still finding it hard to believe her sister had changed so much.

It had taken Daphne a while to adjust to the large amount of red in their dormitory; it seemed a perfect fit for its occupants, warm and cheerful. Though the girls seemed rather superficial from the Slytherin common room, the loyalty the girls emitted was almost contagious. She didn't feel the need to sleep with her wand under her pillow like she had previously, sleeping with it on her nightstand for the first time during her stay at Hogwarts. Crooshanks, who she learned was Hermione's cat, left his cocoon in Hermione's sheets and curled up with Daphne, his light purring reminding her of her mother's cat Khona, though her mother's cat wasn't as ugly as the half kneazle that had taken a liking to her.

Though the girls had stayed up talking after Daphne fell asleep, they were awake bright and early, having a debate about whether they should leave their hair down that morning. Beauty sleep was apparently not a term in their vocabulary. It wasn't much of a change from her old housemates, who would do the same while helping each other apply copious amounts of lipstick.

"You're awake, perfect." Lavender exclaimed, rushing over to Daphne's bed. She had a rather purposeful look in her eye that Daphne was slightly scared to defy. "You need to shower so that Pavarti and I can give you a true Gryffindor makeover. We can't have you walking the halls with green eye shadow." Daphne couldn't help but laugh at the girl, shaking her head in amazement.

"Right away." Daphne smiled, jumping out of bed. She chuckled at Lavender's comment on her ungryffindor like pajamas, they of course being a traitorous green.

By the time the pair had finished with Daphne, she couldn't help but like the girls more. Their commentary on every piece of makeup she owned had been amusing, especially when they found the red and gold eye shadow Draco had given her for Christmas that year. 'It's like she was destined to be a Gryffindor.' Pavarti had exclaimed, placing it in the Gryffindor approved pile. She knew Draco would find that amusing, especially after the reason he had purchased it for her. Apparently commenting that Dean Thomas was looking rather good as she passed him in a corridor constituted the glittery powder.

"Anything I should try not to do as a Gryffindor?" Daphne asked, pulling on a red and gold tie. It seemed oddly comfortable to do so, but that was most likely due to her bond with Hermione growing. It would continue to shape and grow for the next few days until it finally fused, making them almost fully aware of everything that happened to the other. It reminded her that she had promised to visit Hermione. She still had a lot more to tell her.

"Don't hiss?" Lavender suggested, only to be hit with a pillow Pavarti had thrown at her. "I couldn't think of anything else." She defended, pouting. It did reassure Daphne though; she couldn't mess up her first day as a Gryffindor.

"I don't see why we have to sit through another three days of lessons if we just finished our OWLs." Pavarti complained, fastening her hair into a sleek ponytail.

"Because we have NEWTS next year." Daphne shrugged, gathering the things she would need for the rest of the day. She thought she might leave the tower early and take Hermione something from the kitchens. She knew firsthand that Madam Pomfrey did not offer a very appealing menu. Nobody wanted to live off of bread in various stages of life when they were sick. She managed to locate her books, which had been placed in a neat pile in her nightstand only to realize her timetable would have changed. "What lessons do we have today?" She asked the girls, feeling slightly embarrassed for doing so.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is first." Pavarti supplied, not having to look at her timetable. "Then it's Divination, Transfiguration and Charms." She smiled, before frowning slightly. "I'm not sure what your OWLs were but you'll be in most of our lessons today." She offered, beginning to locate her belongings.

"I promised Hermione I would visit her this morning so I'm going to head out." She smiled, noting Lavender's sudden interest.

"First day as a Gryffindor and you're already breaking the rules." Lavender smiled proudly. "You're going to fit in very well here."

With a quick goodbye to the girls she headed into the common room where she found a ginger boy with his arms crossed over his chest. Ronald Weasley was blocking her path with a stare that could kill a man.

"Running back to your friends down in Slytherin?" He accused, his voice full of venom. "I don't know what you did to Hermione or to Dumbledore but you won't be here for long. Nobody is going to stand for a snake in Gryffindor."

Daphne rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "I was going to visit Hermione and see how she was doing. You're welcome to join me." She offered with a light smile before trying to push past him.

He held out an arm and stopped her form walking any further forward. "You may have everyone else fooled." He spoke harshly, lowering his voice. "You're wolves in sheep's clothing, but I can see right through it. I'm going to find out what you snakes are planning." He left the common room, returning to his dormitory, presumably so that the other occupants wouldn't realize he had ever left.

She shook her head slightly and continued on her way, careful of Filch and Mrs Norris who would still be looking out for students. It was like the man never slept. She dropped into the kitchen on her way, leaving with more than the one pastry she had gone to retrieve. She wouldn't complain though, a quick stasis charm would make them last a few days. After narrowly avoiding Mrs Norris, Daphne made it to the hospital wing to see Hermione sat up in bed with her nose in a book.

"You seem like you're back to normal." Daphne joked, taking a seat next to Hermione's bed.

"There's nothing a good book can't fix." Hermione smiled, closing the book and placing it on her lap. "I suppose you're going to make a habit out of visiting me before hours." She laughed, glad of the company.

"Oh." Daphne spoke in mock hurt, dramatically looking away. "I see how it is. I'll just take my pumpkin pasty with me on the way out." She joked, picking up her bag and standing from the chair.

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Hermione rolled her eyes, laughing slightly. "You know I would love your company."

Daphne smiled, sitting back down. "And I'm sure you would love my pastries more." She joked, producing one from her bag.

"Well, it's not unwelcome." Hermione joked, taking a large bite from the pastry. "Is the bond making me heal this quickly?" She asked once she had swallowed her mouthful. "It should have taken me a week to heal this well."

"Yes it is." Daphne sighed, having hoped to ignore the conversation that she clearly couldn't avoid. "I suppose I should tell you what else to expect." Daphne sat up straighter, as if it would give her the courage. Some Gryffindor I am, she thought. "The bond gets stronger over the next few days, giving the two of us enough time to acclimatize to it. You'll start feeling what I'm feeling, but you will be aware that it's my feeling not yours. You'll know when I'm upset, hurt, happy. We have a physical connection too, meaning that if I were to pinch my arm, you'd feel it too. But that should come a little later on."

"Was that message you sent me a side effect?" Hermione asked, recalling her sudden need to find Daphne last night.

"You really are smart." Daphne smiled, earning a laugh from the bookworm. "Soon we'll be able to hear each other's thoughts too, though only ones we want the other to hear. It will take a lot less conscious energy and we'll be able to send longer messages."

Hermione smiled, taking another bite from her pasty. "We could have a lot of fun with that." She laughed, earning an eye roll.

"You weren't kidding when you said the hat wanted you to be a Slytherin." Daphne joked, pulling her own pasty from her bag. "Can we talk about something else? I still feel kinda bad about messing up the soul forge." She asked, slumping down into her chair.

"Sure." Hermione smiled before getting an idea. "How do you like Lavender and Pavarti?"

 **AN- Seven chapters in two days! I don't know how I managed it. I am really enjoying writing this story and I hope you guys are enjoying reading it. I will admit that I don't have too much planned because it's been kind of an impulse story, just writing whatever comes into my head.**

 **Please let me know what you think and follow this story if you want to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	8. Something In The Water

**AN- So I was asked about Daphne and how she would have a mate in the future if she was bonded to Hermione but I would like to clear up that in the official cannon, Veela don't mate like Werewolves do. In fact neither are explicitly described to mate or bond with other wizards so pretty much every fanfic author is taking liberties with the material.**

 **I am doing the same here. I'm going to have Veela exist in a different sense to the books, so that their abilities are passed to the first male or female of every generation their family encounters. And so I am also making the way they find a mate different, that they can choose if they want to form the bond. Daphne's mother, for example, is mated with Lord Greengrass but hasn't forged the bond because he wouldn't take having part-veela children very well.**

 **I just thought I'd explain that here to clear everything up so let's get back to the story.**

 **Chapter 8 - Something In The Water**

Draco's morning had been rather pleasant until he saw Weasley sneaking around the dormitory, digging through Harry's trunk. He was amazed the messy haired boy managed to stay asleep through the ordeal. Ronald Weasley clearly did not possess a subtle bone in his body. Draco reached for his wand and flicked it at the trunk, which slammed shut instantly, though it didn't catch Weasley's hands like a small part of him had been hoping.

"What are you doing with Harry's trunk, Weasley?" Draco asked, sitting upright in his bed. He noticed the ginger go pale and then turn a shade of red eerily reminiscent of his hair. "Cat got your tongue?" He asked, as the boy stammered in front of him.

"Whatever you're planning Malfoy." Ron whispered harshly, attempting to look threatening as he moved closer to Draco. "I will stop you." He moved to his own bed and began gathering his clothes for the day. Harry just sat up groggily, searching to pull on his glasses to see what was going on.

Draco quickly forgot his suspicions of the ginger as the day wore on, though he did notice the Weasley's giant appetite and foul manners as he sprayed food across the table in front of him. Draco still enjoyed his meal though, avoiding the bacon and sausages that Weasley had managed to ruin. Daphne walked in ten minutes after breakfast started, bouncing along and grinning about something he was sure he'd hear about later. Instead of sitting with him, she joined Lavender and Pavarti, though the latter was sat next to him.

All eyes were on the two former Slytherins that morning, most having not noticed their presence at the Gryffindor table. He presumed they still wouldn't have notices if Daphne hadn't walked in on her own, drawing everyone's attention. The Slytherins began muttering with each other, probably plotting when was best to curse the two of them, which triggered Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to join in the hushed whispers. There was a small group of girls on the Ravenclaw table that were grinning to each other, glancing in Daphne's direction as they spoke.

"You have admirers Daph." Draco joked, indicating the Ravenclaw girls.

Daphne immediately grinned when she saw them. "That's Padma, the girl I sit next to in charms, and the blonde girl is Luna, she was helping with Hermione yesterday. I've never had any problems with them." She shrugged before turning back to the porridge and fruit she opted for every morning, though it surprised him that Gryffindors even ate green apples.

Professor McGonagall walked down from the head table making a beeline for her newest students, timetables in hand and presumably a threat on her tongue. She didn't however say anything untoward but simply welcomed them to Hogwarts and informed them that she would like to see them both in her office at 4 o'clock sharp.

"I'm going to go see Hermione." Draco announced, slightly unnerved by Professor McGonagall's politeness, her dislike of him had been clear since his first year. Maybe it was only Weasley that hadn't accepted them into Gryffindor after they moved past their protesting. He ignored the whispered questions some of the other Gryffindors asked, the group inform of him knowing perfectly well why he was concerned for the Gryffindor Princess.

Upon exiting the Great Hall, he kept his wand close on hand incase a stray Slytherin tried to shoot a curse at him, after all, that is exactly what he would have done. There were no interruptions as he made his way to the hospital wing, though the third floor portrait did want to strike up a conversation about the best cut of beef. He just walked on through, giving his sincerest apologies about how he was already running late and took the stairs in the clock tower two at a time, his eagerness to see Hermione growing with each passing minute.

He pushed his way into the hospital wing and saw the girl in question sat on the edge of a bed, fully dressed in red and gold. She was being handed several potions and what he presumed was a list of instructions by the healer. With one last smile and thank you, she walked over to Draco, a light smirk on her face.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods Malfoy?" She smiled teasingly, taking great delight in his momentary shock.

"Someone's turned into a Slytherin." He observed, walking with her out of the hospital wing, following her along the corridor to the grand staircase.

Hermione couldn't help but stare at Draco somewhat in his new house colours. It was a sight to see him wearing red and gold, it should have looked foreign but there was an odd comfort about him while he wore it. She grinned to herself, walking with the same skip in her step Daphne had possessed that morning. "Someone's turned into a Gryffindor." She noticed his smile fade slightly, before he firmly placed it back, apparently thinking she hadn't noticed. "What's wrong with being a lion?" She teased. "Is it the red or the overwhelming need to do something rash and impulsive?"

"Oh." Draco reacted, having not expected Hermione to pick up on something so slight. "It's not being a Gryffindor that has me worried." He defended, having rather enjoyed his time with the house. No, he was worried about what it would mean inside Malfoy Manor. "I'm just worried about my mother. She's in a house alone, surrounded by death eaters, and my sudden defect to Gryffindor can't help her." He confided, mentally kicking himself. He didn't really know Hermione or trust that she wouldn't use the information to her advantage.

"I'm sure Dumbledore would be able to help." Hermione suggested, her trust in the old headmaster scaring him slightly. He may have an open mind but he could see that Dumbledore was prepared to sacrifice his precious golden trio if it meant Voldemort fell, which wouldn't be too bad if they weren't barely sixteen. "He has people inside of Voldemort's circles, I'm sure he can do something, even if it's only that they protect your mother."

Draco just nodded absentmindedly, trying to work out who was spying for Dumbledore. He knew Professor Snape was spring for Voldemort, so it couldn't be his godfather, although he would try his best to keep his mother safe. Maybe it was Pucey; the wet head had no stomach for the cruciatus curse, or anything really.

Hermione touched a hand to Draco's elbow, stopping him in his tracks. He looked down at her, worry clear in his eyes. "She'll be okay." She soothed, before continuing to walk down the deserted corridor. The interaction confused Draco, hadn't she been interrogating him yesterday, questioning why he hadn't taken the opportunity to kill her. But he wouldn't complain as a warm tingling sensation rushed up his arm.

They continued walking in silence until they reached the common room. Hermione went to fetch her things and Draco waited in the now empty common room. It was the first chance he had to see the space.

It was small, a sofa and two armchairs cramped together in front of a roaring fire. It was so different to the dim green flames that lit the Slytherin common room, warming not just the room but the atmosphere it contained. The space was cozy, had a well loved bookcase shoved against one of the walls and a Wizard's chess board tucked away on a table under one of the two windows that lit the space. The other was littered with various books, textbooks and fiction alike piled high, blocking some of the light from the room. There was a mix of used and unused parchment on the surface, something that he would never have seen in his old house. There were lines and lines of notes on the scrolls, some written in tight neat calligraphy and others contained large messy scrawls that read 'Is wolfsbane poisonous?' Separate from the piles of books was a neat, almost pristine copy of Hogwarts: A History sat atop of notes that read 'The other founders must have their own secrets buried in the castle. Was Salazar the only one?' He opened the cover to see the name 'Hermione Jean Granger' written in small, neat cursive at the top of the first page.

"Only you Granger." He rolled his eyes, noting that the scribbles underneath were in the same handwriting. It was most likely true that the other founders had their own secrets within the castle walls. He knew that the grey lady was none other than Helga Hufflepuffs daughter after a long week of interrogation and research. She never told him why she had remained after her death, only that she had to.

"Admiring the scenery." Hermione smiled, drawing Draco's attention to the bottom of the stairs. Her bag seemingly groaned as it hung from her shoulder, as if it were pained by the weight of the immense amount of books that is surely contained. The seams were starting to pull, and judging by the look of them, they had been re-stitched many times. "What do you have first?" She asked, deciding to ignore Draco's interest in her research.

"Defense." He answered after a brief glance at his timetable. It was with Ravenclaw luckily. He'd have to wait until potions at the end of the day to see his former house. He didn't doubt that they would cause a scene, there was only so much Professor Snape could do to control them. Draco had earned the respect of his house in his second year, when his father presented the quidditch team with new brooms. Now that he was no longer in Slytherin, someone else would have to claim his power, and he prayed that it wasn't Pansy.

"Let's get going then, we only have ten minutes." Hermione smiled, heading out of the common room. They sped through the castle; barely making it to their class before the doors opened and they were welcomed into the room by none other than Professor Snape. It seemed he would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts until they found someone to replace Umbridge.

They all took their seats, Draco having to sit with Neville, as Hermione had joined Daphne on the spare table at the back. There was something strange about seeing the two of them together. They both leaned on the table as they spoke with each other, their outside arm resting underneath their chin. When Professor Snape began the lesson, they both perked up, sitting up straight with perfect synchronicity. There was something odd about the two, Draco decided, turning his attention to his godfather. Maybe Weasley was right, there was something going on, but it wasn't with him.

 **AN- So here's another chapter with some more Dramione bonding. I got some rather interesting reviews and suggestions for how the bond could work and how Draco could react to the new Gryffindor atmosphere. I really loved hearing them and might just work it into the story as I go along. The next chapter should cover some of their lessons over the next day and we might see a little bit of Draco-Weasley bonding (investigating) soon.**

 **As always I would love to know what you think and please follow the story if you would like to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	9. Inspector Malfoy And His Ginger Sidekick

**Chapter 9 – Inspector Malfoy And His Ginger Sidekick**

Draco sat and took notes as Professor Snape began reeling off all of the spells he wanted to see correctly performed. Basic defense spells mostly, but a few offensives, some of which Umbridge had adamantly refused to delve into the theory of. He may have been part of the inquisitorial squad but she didn't let them practice many spells, just simple body binds to apprehend meddlesome students. He was sure the rest of the room would easily perform the task, having been part of Dumbledore's Army. Some still had scars on their hands from their former headmistress' punishments.

"You will work with the people you are sat with. You have twenty minutes." Snape ordered, waving his wand to push the tables aside. Draco held onto his noted and turned to face Neville who looked slightly worried about working with his former enemy. It was no secret that Neville was not the best at offensive spells.

"I'll let you go first Neville." Draco smiled, handing the boy the sheet of spells. Neville gulped and stood a few paces away from Draco, moving into an offensive stance. The boy took a few breaths before he executed the first of the offensive spells, Expelliarmus, almost flawlessly the first time. He had hesitated and so Draco was able to block the spell. "Just believe in yourself Longbottom." He smiled, earning a hesitant grin from the boy.

"Expelliarmus." He yelled, catching Draco off guard with the speed at which he cast the spell. Draco's wand flew from his hand and Neville plucked it from the air with seeming ease. Draco couldn't help but grin as some of the nearby Gryffindors applauded Neville. The boy blushed and handed Draco his wand back to move onto the next spell. As they worked through the list, Neville had proven to be rather good at magic, though he still needed to work on his self confidence. Draco could only be glad he wasn't throwing curses at his new housemate. They switched and Draco noticed Neville's aptitude for defensive spells as he deflected every spell Draco threw at him. He now understood why the boy had gone with Potter to the ministry, he was good at magic. Very good at magic.

"Well done Mr Longbottom." Snape congratulated, a slight sneer on his face as he did so. "I do believe that's the first time you've correctly cast a spell." He taunted, moving closer to the pair. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

Draco grinned, clapping Neville on the shoulder. The boy didn't seem to confident in his achievement.

"It's not Slytherin that he favors. It's you." Neville observed, placing his wand back in his pocket.

Draco just grinned, turning to face Neville. "That may be true, but I didn't cast those spells. It was all you." He couldn't help but feel like he had started to atone for the terrible things he had done to the Gryffindor, a sense of pride filling him as the boy finally smiled, accepting the praise.

Draco glanced around the room, noticing Potter and Weasley were throwing spells at each other with ease, blocking them with an absent minded flick of their wands Draco then realized that it wasn't Potter's club that had increased his classmate's skill, it was the fight in the ministry. They'd been in their first fight for their lives and it showed. Potter was constantly watching his partner, watching for signs of his opponent's next strike. This was what being the boy-who-lived had done to the boy and his friends. They spent every year fighting off one formidable opponent after the other, something that none of them should have experienced. Draco's gaze drifted to Hermione and Daphne only to see the two girls giggling to each other. Every spell they cast was perfectly in sync, amusing the girls to no end as spell after spell was blocked with seeming ease. He could tell by Hermione's stance that she was slightly more relaxed than Daphne, but he could tell his friend had suddenly become very good at dueling, almost at the same level as the girl she was dueling. Only weeks ago she had been struggling to correctly cast a defensive spell and now she was doing it with ease.

Draco smiled to Neville, pulling out his wand. "Shall we make this interesting?" He grinned before throwing a half hearted stupefy at Daphne. Both boys looked on in confusion as both girls stumbled back, clearly confused by the sudden attack.

"Maybe you shouldn't have done that." Neville observed, noticing the alarm in the girl's eyes as they noticed Draco's curious expression. Luckily Professor Snape had been correcting two of the Ravenclaws so he didn't notice Draco cast the Stupefy, but the professor did notice the girl's shock. He immediately walked over and whispered with Daphne, nodding as she and Hermione explained what had happened, although it seemed that they left out who sent the stunner. The two placed their wands back in their sleeves, presumably in a holster strapped to their arm and kept talking with each other, glancing at Draco and Neville as they did. "Any idea what that was about?" Neville asked, moving a step closer to Draco.

"No idea." Draco shrugged, glancing at Weasley who had apparently also noticed the strange behaviour between Daphne and Hermione. He simply nodded to the former Slytherin, agreeing to investigate what was going on.

During their first break that day, which came immediately after their lesson, Draco and Ron headed straight to the library, searching for every book on the shelves that contained anything about magical bonds and ways to heal cursed wounds. Their strange behaviour had come after Daphne had healed Hermione.

"I hate the library." Ron complained, placing another five books on the half filled table. They had gathered maybe fifty books to look through. "Why couldn't there be a book called 'Why Hermione is suddenly acting strange'?" He complained before sliding into a chair at the table, grabbing a book called Matching Wands and their Peculiarities. Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes at the ginger's choice. It was the smallest book in the pile.

"We've got to figure them out somehow." Draco shrugged, selecting a tome entitled 'Counter Curses and Their Uses', flicking straight to the chapter list. "If in doubt, go to the library." He recited, having said the same thing to his former friends many times as he searched for a way to beat Hermione in their lessons. He of course wouldn't admit that was his goal, he couldn't appear weak in front of others.

"Hermione says that too." Ron commented, staring at the title page of his book.

Draco glanced over and rolled his eyes. "Are you going to read any of that?" He asked before turning to a promising chapter in his book. After skimming through the chapter and finding it useless he glanced over at Ron to see him begin to actually read his chosen book. Draco continued reading, picking many books at random before glancing at his watch. He had ten minutes to get to Arithmacy. He rummaged in his back and pulled out a piece of parchment, waving his wand over it so that they would have a list of the tomes they had yet to read. It was rather a long list.

"Time to go Weasley." Draco announced, noticing his companion had barely made it to the third chapter in his book, though he did seem to be rather enjoying reading it. Muttering to himself about all of the amazing things he'd learnt. 'This could definitely help harry.' He would mutter, apparently having forgotten their task. Having failed to get his attention, Draco shoved Ron from his chair, annoying the Weasley.

"You could talk to me politely you know Malfoy." Ron rolled his eyes, picking himself off of the floor and brushing down his trousers.

"I already tried." Draco shrugged. Waving his wand again so that the books would return to their shelves. Ron however decided to keep hold of his book, giving it to Madam Pince to sign out. She seemed very surprised to se the boy asking for a book, even more so that it was about something other than fiction. She didn't question his motives and let him leave the library clutching the book. It was a sight, seeing the usually complaining boy carrying a book. "You sure you're alright?" Draco asked jokingly, earning a scowl from Weasley.

"I'm fine." Ron huffed, before glancing at his own watch. "I have to get to divination." He spoke alarmed and sped off through the halls, amusing Draco to no end. No, Weasley hadn't changed much.

 **AN- Another chapter down and our new favourite Sherlock and Watson are on the case. I am actually really enjoying their dynamic, with Ron being the useless sidekick, but I think he might actually prove useful. I always found that Ron wasn't a very useful character in the films so I forgot how good of a character he can be when he's actually doing something useful and amusing.**

 **I'd love to hear what you guys thought of this chapter, and please follow the story if you want to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	10. Beneath The Surface

**Chapter 10 – Beneath The Surface**

During their time between lessons, Draco and Ron spent as much time as they could observing Daphne and Hermione, writing down everything that seemed odd, which turned out to be every interaction they had. They had a habit of laughing at something no one else heard, sitting and standing as if they were each other's mirrors and had a seemingly never ending supply of pumpkin pasties. Though Ron did write their last piece of information as they had cut lunch short to follow the girls. It unnerved the two to see that the girls were becoming more and more similar with each passing hour.

That afternoon, they had to postpone their investigations to attend their next lesson, potions. It was no secret that Daphne and Draco were dreading the subject, having to share the space with the Slytherins. He was certain someone would point their wand at them; he just hoped they did it first so he wouldn't lose any house points. But the strange thing was that none of their former house mates said anything, not in Professor Snape's presence at least. They waited until they were sufficiently down the corridor before a large group of them surrounded Draco and Daphne, aiming their wands at the pair.

"Ready for your punishment, blood traitors?" Pansy spat. This confirmed Draco's fear. She was now in control of Slytherin house. Their former friends had backed behind a girl they used to whisper about as she passed by, commenting on her spoiled virtue. It was no lie that Pansy had slept with most of the upper years, even some of the females had things to say about her. And now, here she stood, having won them over in a day.

Draco and Daphne remained silent, slowly reaching for their wands. If it came to it, they might be able to cast a few defensive spells, but they wouldn't win in a fight against eight people, even if two of them were Crabbe and Goyle. There was an eerie tension in the air, both groups waiting for the other to make a move.

"You might want to rethink that." A voice smiled, coming from behind Pansy. There stood Neville Longbottom in his new found confidence, pressing the tip of his wand just underneath her ear. Lavender and Pavarti were the next to draw their wands, sparking the Gryffindors' interest like wildfire. Within a few moments, many of their classmates had advanced on the Slytherins, all of them defenseless against the Gryffindors. After a few moments of silent rage, Pansy lowered her wand and stalked away, the rest of her lackeys following behind.

With a large smile, Neville clapped Draco on the shoulder, much like he had in Defense that morning. It was with that small exchange that Gryffindor house accepted the former Slytherins into their house. He would have formerly called them idiots, but now he was grinning with them. There was no doubt in his mind that Gryffindor was thoughtlessly loyal, and now he had earned that loyalty.

Hermione pushed through the crowd of people and pulled Daphne into a tight hug, glad that nothing had happened to the girl. For a moment, Daphne thought she had been worried about what a duel would mean for their bond, but she quickly realized she had become friends with the bookworm. She couldn't suppress a grin as Lavender and Pavarti joined their hug. It was no secret that Hermione had felt awkward around the two, but it now seemed like that had melted away.

Draco turned, placing a hand on Daphne's shoulder. "We should be heading to McGonagall's office." He pointed out, the time swiftly moving closer to 4 o'clock. With a last content smile, Daphne pulled out of the girl's hug and left with Draco, both walking rather quickly to make it to their head of house's office. They made it a few minutes early and decided to knock on the door, receiving a muffled 'Enter' in response. "Sorry, we're a little early." Draco apologized, smiling politely to the woman in front of him. Daphne entered the office behind him, both standing somewhat awkwardly in front of the desk.

"Take a seat." She spoke, a stern look on her face. Though they had never seen her without some sort of scowl. It must be the pressure her tightly drawn bun placed on her brain. "I have some good and bad news for the two of you." She spoke, her expression doing nothing to ease the panic growing in the pair's minds. "Mr Malfoy, your mother has been successfully extracted from your family Manor. She reached out us and is staying with your aunt Andromeda."

Draco couldn't help but sigh with relief, it was the best news he'd heard in what felt like years. Only his smile wouldn't last. Professor McGonagall had also mentioned bad news.

"Your mother did also send information about the dark lord's whereabouts and movements." She took a deep breath before turning to Daphne. "Your mother is unfortunately being held in Malfoy Manor, though we suspect he will relocate within the next day or so." Daphne nodded, holding back tears as she listened to McGonagall's words. "We have an informant working with the death eaters who is trying to plan an escape for her but I cannot promise you anything."

Daphne wiped a few tears from her face, reaching out to Hermione in the hopes the girl could calm her. 'My mother's being punished because of me. How are you Gryffindors so strong all of the time?' She asked, still trying to calm down.

"Was that all Professor?" Draco asked with a lighthearted smile, having only needed to glance at Daphne to see that she was ready to break.

"No." The woman answered, leaning forward, propping herself up with her arms. "I need to ask that Miss Greengrass out some thought into what she plans to do over the summer. We can have a safe house ready for you if you wish to be more alone with your thoughts, but I suggested to Professor Dumbledore that it may be better to allow you to decide for yourself."

Draco kept his eyes on Daphne, waiting for to give a response that never came. She didn't look distracted or shocked, but she was moving her lips slightly, as if she were talking with someone. She of course could have been talking to herself but Draco would have to ask Weasley if Hermione had been doing a similar thing, they could add it to their list. "I'll take her back to the common room." Draco assured the head of house, Daphne absentmindedly acknowledging his helping her move. It did cross his mind to use occlumency to see what she was thinking, but it might not have been the best idea when she was clearly fragile. With a quick goodbye to the professor, Draco stepped out of her office, pulling Daphne along next to him, only for the blonde girl to be accosted by a rather bushy haired brunette.

Daphne simply broke down in Hermione's arms, clutching to the girl as if it were all that was keeping her alive. Though at that moment, it felt like she was. Draco left them in their small bubble, Hermione clearly helping Daphne more than he could. Instead he headed for the library where he was due to meet Weasley for several more hours of reading, though Weasley would be reading possibly the only book the ginger had voluntarily picked up. He was surprised to find his accomplice leaning over a book of significant size, muttering to himself and scribbling down notes on a roll of parchment.

"You okay Weasley?" Draco asked chuckling, moving to look over the ginger's shoulder. He was reading a book on magical creatures and their magic, more specifically soul magic. He was currently looking at a page that detailed how a vampire used soul magic. It did look fascinating, although he didn't think that reading about how exceptionally powerful vampires could devour souls would help them. It was when he moved his attention to the parchment that he understood.

 _Probably not banshees. But when Hermione screams, it gives me a massive headache. Not banshees. Hermione would definitely kill me._

Draco couldn't agree more, though the same could be said about Daphne. She may be a nice girl but she was deadly when she got mad. Ron had crossed out Sirens and Valkyries, mostly because they were rarely seen by the living and probably would be doing their jobs instead of attending Hogwarts.

 _Werewolves. Bond with their pack. Are they a pack? They're inseparable teenage girls, of course there's an element of that. Stupid idea. Only the alpha controls the pack, their pack members follow a similar thought pattern. They don't get sick around the full moon. Not Werewolves. I'm an idiot._

Draco snorted in agreement and moved onto the next paragraph, which he had just finished. Vampires.

 _Maybe they're Vampires. They can do all sorts of soul and blood magic. Though Hermione has a fairly good tan and I've seen her in sunlight. Besides, she likes hummus too much. Greengrass could be, she could have used soul magic on Hermione. Maybe all Slytherins are Vampires._

Draco laughed, drawing Ron's attention from the final pages in the book that detailed soul magic. The ginger was glaring at him, a look he had seen on Hermione's face many times, though it was usually because he was insulting her. Oh. "I like you're Slytherin theory." Draco explained, sitting down next to Ron and turning the book slightly so that he could read over the final useful pages.

 _The Soul Forge is a particularly unique brand of soul magic… soul forge can rescue a dying witch or wizard… too much magic can cause the souls to permanently bond… acquire certain personality traits and habits from the other. The bond chooses the most beneficial… can communicate with their thoughts… experience the same emotions… physical pain is experienced by both in the pair…if one dies, the other dies too… the magi, as stated earlier, is very unique… can only be practiced by a Veela._

Draco stopped reading, his eyes going wide. "Merlin's beard."

 **AN- I did unfortunately go back to college on Monday so I haven't had the chance to write anything because I got a massive amount of written work. A little unfair really. But here is the chapter and I hope you like it. I didn't originally plan for Draco and Ron to work it out in this chapter but I wanted to have them confront Hermione and Daphne in the next chapter anyway.**

 **I would love to know what you think of this chapter and please follow the story if you want to read more.**

 **Amyx**


	11. I'm A Mess

**Chapter 11 – I'm A Mess**

Hermione helped Daphne up to the common room, keeping an arm around her as they went. She threw scowls at the many people that thought it amusing to see a former Slytherin vulnerable. Hermione just needed Daphne to get better. She was going into shock, and while Hermione wasn't too worried about herself, she would follow minutes after. She managed to get them to their dormitory when she felt herself going very cold. She was experiencing the first shock symptom. She only had a few minutes to try and snap Daphne out of it. She sat Daphne on her bed, making sure that her arms weren't crossed; Hermione's mother had told her about that once. Her chest had to be open. She wrapped the bed sheets around Daphne and raised Daphne's knees. As far as Hermione could remember, this was what her mother had instructed. And thankfully it worked as Daphne's breathing began slowing down, which Hermione hadn't noticed was exceptionally shallow and fast, and she began looking around the room, her eyes no longer glazed over.

"I don't need to ask how you're feeling." Hermione muttered, climbing into the sheet with Daphne, draping an arm around her shoulder. "I can feel it all." Daphne choked out a sob and rested her head on Hermione's shoulder, her hands clutching to the corner of a blanket. They stayed like that for a while until Lavender and Pavarti came into the room, followed by Ginny and surprisingly Luna. They all clambered onto Hermione's bed and sat with them for a few minutes. Luna placed what was clearly a hand crafted necklace around Daphne's neck, a small crescent moon hanging from the thin leather chain. It was white and smooth, and strangely began relaxing Daphne.

"It was my mother's." Luna explained her voice dreamy. "It helped keep her calm when she had a panic attack. I was using it since we got back from the ministry, but you need it more." With that, Luna left the room, leaving five Gryffindors in a space that was only supposed to hold one.

"We're heading to dinner in a few minutes." Lavender smiled, reaching out a hand and placing it over Daphne's. "If you're alright to come. You are perfectly fine to stay here." And with that, she and Pavarti left. Ginny, however, stayed, doing the same as Lavender, placing a hand over Daphne's and sat with the girl as she cried.

…

"We can't confront her yet." Draco argued, whispering sharply as they stood in the common room with student after student walking past them. They'd been arguing for fifteen minutes now, Ron being adamant that they should share their findings with the resident Gryffindor bookworm. "Daph will be in no shape to have us shove her secret in her face."

Ron huffed, rolling his eyes at the blonde in front of him. "But what if Hermione doesn't know what's happening to her. She could be terrified right now." He argued, having argued the same case since their discovery. While Draco thought Hermione would be aware, Ron did have a point. On the off change Hermione didn't know that she was now bonded to a Veela, she could be very scared of what was happening. "She could think she's going crazy, hearing voices in her head." Ron was painfully aware of what Harry had gone through in their second year, hearing a giant snake talking to him, though of course they didn't know it was a snake until the end of that year. Harry had thought he was going insane, panicking all the time when he heard a menacing voice whispering the word 'kill'.

"Granger knows." Draco disagreed, running a hand through his hair. "Those two have been thick as thieves since Hermione woke up, and I don't think it's just a coincidence. They have to be using their bond to their advantage. How else would Hermione have known we needed help?"

A strangling noise escaped Ron's throat as he took a few aimless steps around the common room. While he may have changed his mind on Draco, and the library, he was still thickheaded. Though Draco had to admit that it was a trait that must have lent itself to the golden trio over the last five years. He'd heard all of the stories about their little adventures and he knew that Ron had actually been useful during some of that time, though it pained Draco to admit it.

"We can ask her about it after the summer." Draco decided and began walking away, only for Ron to grab his arm and spin him around.

"We can't just back down from this." Ron spoke adamantly. "She's used dark magic on Hermione, if anything we need to inform the headmaster."

Draco laughed and pried his arm from Ron's grip. "And how would we explain how we know. Besides she saved Hermione's life, Dumbledore's favourite student, and you think she should be punished. I've never seen you lot in trouble and you've broken literally every school rule."

Ron huffed and stormed from the common room, leaving Draco slightly confused. Was he going to try to have Daphne expelled, or had his pig of an appetite momentarily distracted him.

"I don't think they're coming down." Lavender spoke, surprising Draco with her sudden arrival.

"How's Daphne holding up?" Draco asked, glad that Ron wasn't still present to make the situation worse. It seemed that Lavender was uncharacteristically quiet as she turned and looked back up the staircase. "As well as I thought then."

Lavender nodded and turned to look at Draco once again. "Hermione looks devastated too, like they were just told that they'll die tomorrow." She barely whispered, a frown on her face.

Pavarotti placed a hand on Lavender's arm, smiling sadly at their friend. "They'll be okay." She reassured, before leading Lavender out of the common room.

For a moment, Draco considered going up to sit with his almost sister. They'd sat together for years, allowing the other to cry or grieve until there was nothing left to feel. But that was in Slytherin, where feeling anything was a weakness and if you were weak you were worse than a muggle. That's another difference between the lions and the snakes, they were fuelled by feeling and impulse and that was what made them strong, what bound them together. And once again, Draco found himself glad that things were different.

…

"Would you mind if I joined you for the summer?" Daphne asked quietly, still leaning into Hermione's arm.

"Of course." Hermione announced, not even stopping to think about it. "I am spending the summer with the Weasleys so you can back out now if you'd like."

Ginny smiled, apparently cheered up by the idea. "Mum will love you." She spoke, leaving no room for argument. "She takes in a lot of strays so you might leave with a whole second family."

Daphne just smiled. "I wouldn't mind that. I've already lost most of mine." A frown fell over her face once again. "I miss Stori, she was the sweetest girl and now... she's like every other Slytherin I've met. Harsh and cold. I just wish she hadn't lost that warmth."

Ginny squeezed into the gap between Daphne and Hermione's bedside table. "She won't be like that forever. Just look at Draco."

Daphne just shook her head. "She's the Greengrass heir now. My father won't let her go."

Ginny wrapped her arm around Daphne, leaving her head back against the wall. "You just need hope." Ginny smiled quietly. "And we Gryffindors have lots of that."

 **AN- So its been a while. I've been doing a lot of written work recently and I've only just been able to get back to the story. I have some chapters in the works, though some of that consists of a few paragraphs on the back of my assignments. But I hope you like this chapter, even if it is very late.**

 **As always I'd love to hear what you think and if you want to read more just hit that follow button.**

 **Amyx**


	12. Separation Anxiety

**Chapter 12 – Separation Anxiety**

The next few days passed by in a blur, especially for Ginny, Hermione and Daphne, who barely moved from Hermione's bed. But soon, they'd have to be on the Hogwarts express and Daphne was dreading facing her former friends. She didn't doubt that they would seek her out to throw more insults, and maybe a hex or two. She was however surprised at how much of an effect her bond with Hermione had on her mood. She had felt like she wouldn't move for weeks but there she was, packing the few belongings she had taken from her trunk. She was looking forward to the weeks away from Hogwarts, even if Molly Weasley was as terrifyingly loving as her children had described.

But even more so than that, she was looking forward to being away from the Pureblood dinners that had soon become a way for her father and his death eater friends to get drunk and then go off and torture whichever innocent muggle family they came across. They'd been careful so far, but now that the world knew Voldemort was back, they could massacre wherever and whenever they pleased, and Daphne didn't want to hear about the aftermath when her father sat enthusiastically at the breakfast table the next morning, detailing his latest conquest.

"Daphne." Hermione called from the doorway, her bag in one hand and trunk in the other. "Time to go." She smiled hopefully, not needing to ask about Daphne's nerves. With a deep breath, Daphne followed Hermione from the dorm and down to the common room, where two Weasleys, a Potter and a Malfoy waited for them. It surprised her to see that everyone, bar Draco, was wearing a knitted jumper of varying colours with a bright, large letter on the front. They looked like one big, mismatched family.

Ginny smiled and looped her arm through Daphne's as the group slowly made their way to the courtyard. "Mum will probably make you one for Christmas too. She's made Hermione and Harry's first ones before she'd even met them."

Hermione, who was on Daphne's other side, giggled, shaking her head. "She might not even wait that long."

"I wrote to her about you coming and she was far too excited about it." Ginny continued, not paying attention to the three boys struggling to keep up with them. "I think she misses having all of us in the house. Bill and Charlie left home years ago and now that Percy's working for the ministry…"

Daphne tuned out her ginger friend, hoping to ask Hermione her many questions about the Weasley clan. 'Who are Bill and Charlie? And why are these jumpers so important?'

Though she didn't do it audibly, Daphne could hear Hermione laughing. 'Bill and Charlie are Ginny's older brothers. And every year for Christmas, Molly knits us a jumper with our initials on them, they're very nice actually.'

Daphne smiled a little as they continued on their way to the courtyard. This summer wouldn't turn out like she was dreading, she didn't know if she could handle if it did. But at least she had Hermione.

"I never asked." Daphne suddenly announced. "Why aren't you staying at your parents?" As soon as the words left her lips, she knew it wasn't her best move. In fact, being able to feel the girl you asked a question to drop into a cold, quiet reluctance was a very fast way of knowing why she didn't answer your question. A small "oh" escaped Daphne's lips and the three girls grew quiet.

It was only when they were on the train that Hermione and Daphne spoke up again, Ginny having continued to talk about her mother and how she would try to force feed them every hour of the day she could.

"I'm sorry." Daphne whispered, sitting as close to Hermione as she could, holding the other girl's hand.

"Don't be." Hermione shrugged, a weak smile gracing her face.

Their first few days at the burrow were surprisingly quiet, Mrs Weasley being the most supportive and loving Hermione had ever seen her with Mr Weasley coming in a close second. They had accepted Harry and Hermione into their family before they had met and it seemed that the ginger mother was doing the same with Daphne. At first Daphne seemed a little uncomfortable but after a few minutes of Hermione assuring her that it was normal Daphne quickly accepted the Weasleys into her ever growing family, despite how odd it felt to receive so much warmth so quickly.

"You seem a lot happier." Hermione commented one night, the sunset lighting the night sky in hues of purple.

"I shouldn't be." Daphne frowned, feeling rather guilty about how quickly she had become accustomed to her new situation. "I should be worried sick but I'm here laughing with you and the Weasleys, I feel happy. And I shouldn't."

"Trust me." Hermione smiled. "You are worried sick." She had felt the growing fear since she had sat with Daphne in the Gryffindor tower. "You just have the advantage of that worry spreading out between the two of us. It doesn't make you a bad person to still be happy. I'm sure your mother would prefer it." Hermione reassured her, looping one of her arms around Daphne's, resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

"I suppose." Daphne conceded, not needing to hide from Hermione that part of her wasn't ready to believe that.

"She's still alive." Hermione whispered.

Draco felt like something was missing. Nothing too drastic, just like there was a tiny petal missing on a rosebush. Hardly life changing or devastating but noticeable, and still missing. Three weeks of summer had already gone by and it was since he bode farewell to his friends that the nagging sensation set in. His cousin, Nymphadora, visited frequently, bringing news of Daphne and Hermione and how they were surviving in a house full of Weasleys. It was as he noticed himself longing for her almost daily visits that he realized that the foreign sensation had something to do with Daphne and Hermione.

It was Sunday afternoon when Tonks' sixteenth visit occurred. She came bearing the usual news, Daphne and Hermione had once again teamed up and bested the Weasley twins, though Draco didn't find it surprising given their clearly unfair advantage. But of course he and Ron were the only people who knew about it. Along with an interesting story about an extendable ear, Crookshanks and a sonorous charm, cast by one of the older members in the household, Tonks came with a letter, though she wouldn't say who it was from. It wouldn't have surprised him to see some sort of horrible joke from the Weasleys.

 _Dear Mr Malfoy,_

 _We have heard from Nymphadora that you are relatively alone this summer, with your only company being that of women far older than you. You are welcome to join us for the rest of the summer if you would prefer._

 _Sincerely, Molly Weasley._

To say that the invitation surprised Draco would be an understatement, though he dutifully re-read the letter aloud, earning a smirk from the women in the room.

"Should we let him join his friends over the summer?" Narcissa asked, a devious gleam in her eyes.

"I'm not too sure." Andromeda responded, a very Malfoy smirk on her lips. Perhaps his smirk came from his mother's side of the family. It was rather likely, given his father's ability to exclusively scowl or turn up his nose. "Maybe we should keep an eye on him. He is still young."

The two women conversed like this for several minutes, Tonks having begun laughing fairly soon into their conversation. In the end, they decided it might be nice for him to spend time with his peers, though it would be more beneficial for him to spend ample time with his relatives. Two days later he was packed and ready, though an extension charm placed on his trunk made packing take a little longer than most would imagine.

"Do be careful dear, I don't want to hear about any missing limbs." Narcissa smiled as Draco approached the fireplace. His mother had insisted that she apparate with him, Draco had to convince her that he could take his trunk through the floo network.

"I'll be fine mother." Draco rolled his eyes, though being careful to do so while he was hugging his mother. "These are Gryffindors, it's nothing like being in Slytherin."

Narcissa smiled sadly at her son. "I know, but these are still people who hated you for years. I'm allowed to be worried."

Andromeda stood next, waiting for her goodbye. She pulled her nephew into a quick hug, a warm grin on her face. "It was lovely to finally meet you. You seem to be growing into a fine young man." The pride in her voice threw him off slightly. It was a sincere, loving pride that he'd only received from his mother.

"And you, Aunt." Draco smiled before wheeling his trunk to the fire. He took a handful of floo powder and, with a final goodbye, threw the powder to his feet and he was off to the Burrow.

He wasn't greeted with the loud noise he expected to hear with so many people under one roof, but an eerie silence and a pair of politely smiling faces. He greeted them both, vaguely recognizing the Weasley matriarch and patriarch.

"We do apologise for the slight detour but we don't have the house connected to the floo network yet." Mrs Weasley smiled. "Arthur will be taking your trunk to the house and I will have to lead you to the house a different way." She smiled again, holding out an arm to Draco, which he hesitantly took.

She led him from the small room, which appeared on the outside to be nothing more than a small shed, a short walk away from the Weasley's house. It truly was something to behold, the sheer force of will, or rather magic, keeping it from collapsing. It was nothing compared to the Manor he was accustomed to living in, but the warmth that seemed to radiate from the building far outweighed the grandeur of his childhood home, especially with the Dark Lord having poisoned any form of loving air that could radiate from the marble structure.

Draco couldn't help but smile as he walked closer to the structure, hearing the laughter and chatter escaping the windows. He was certain that this would be a very different summer to what he was used to.


End file.
